Sex attack at church mars Edinburgh’s Hogmanay party

A YOUNG woman suffered a serious sexual assault in Edinburgh as thousands of people celebrated the New Year just yards away.

Police are encouraging those who saw anything suspicious to contact them [ALAN SIMPSON]

The 21-year-old victim was attacked in the Canongate, just off the Royal Mile, between midnight and 2.30am as around 80,000 revellers partied the night away in the city centre.

Yesterday, parts of the cemetery in the grounds of Canongate Kirk were cordoned off as officers wearing white suits searched the area.

Police are looking for a white man in his late teens or early twenties, who is of a heavy build with dark, spiky hair and a noticeable gap in his teeth.

Detective Inspector Alyson Brown, who is leading the investigation, said: “The Canongate would have been busy with members of the public out celebrating Hogmanay.

“We are particularly interested in speaking to revellers or locals who were in the area after midnight and remember seeing or hearing anything suspicious.

“I would urge anyone who recognises the description of the suspect to come forward immediately.

“Officers continue to provide a high-visibility presence within the Canongate to conduct further inquiry, engage with the public and offer reassurance to the public.”

The 17th-century churchyard is the burial place of economist Adam Smith, and Ebenezer Scroggie, inspiration for the Charles Dickens character Ebenezer Scrooge.

Canongate Kirk was also where Zara Phillips, the Queen’s granddaughter, married Mike Tindall on July 30, 2011.Edinburgh council workers were carrying out a mammoth 12-hour clean up mission yesterday after the street party celebrations.

A fleet of 17 vehicles carried a team of 54 workers who used brushes and shovels to get to grips with an estimated 75 tons of debris left behind by the partygoers.